Photos and videos: @Quemaoclass
Throughout the morning of this Monday, the Quemao Class began, which left a day to remember in La Santa on the first day. And, according to the organizers, the competition arrived with its best version offering incredible tubes, imposing waves and a lot of level.
In bodyboarding, the highlight of the day was Amaury Lavernhe, who delighted with the first 10 of the day. In surfing, local riders Manuel Lezcano and Fynnnlee Miller were not far behind with their scores of 9.23 and 8.50 out of 10 respectively.
One of the great surprises of the day was that of the young surfer Iker Amatrian, who is only 18 years old, who achieved a wave of 9.33 out of 10 points, thus achieving one of the best waves of the day.
Featured performances in bodyboarding
The competition in the bodyboarding category started in the morning with conditions that did not disappoint and with outstanding performances such as that of the Frenchman Pierre Louis Costes, who was the first to advance to the next round.
The Canarians Germán Abreu also stood out with a 7.50 out of 10 points and Sergio Quevedo and Álvaro Padrón, who also managed to pass their respective heats. Rafa Medina, a competitor from La Santa, stated that being able to share two days with great competitors from all over the world is of great value both for him as an athlete and for the island of Lanzarote in general.
Once the first four bodyboarding heats were finished, the surfing category began with the presence of great surfers such as Andy Criere, winner of the best wave of last year and current champion of Spain, who commented that he was very grateful to both the community of La Santa and the organization for holding this type of invitational event at the level of major circuits, such as La World Surf League. For Andy, being able to compete in a wave as technical as the Quemao, makes him give his best as a competitor.
Professional rider from the United States Peter Mendia confessed that the first time he caught the Quemao wave was 15 years ago and pointed out that being back and in competition was something unique for him and considered the wave to be world class.
Public expectations exceeded
Even though it was Monday, public expectations were also exceeded, who supported the championship surfers from the promenade without ceasing. From very early on, the report was already promising, but the organization affirms that no one imagined that it would be a wave factory with such perfection, so the shouts of surprise and applause were reflected among all those present
For its part, from Billabong, which presents the Quemao Class and did not hesitate for a second to support an event, they pointed out that "it was an opportunity to experience La ola del Quemao in La Santa" and that they wish to continue supporting the organizers of the Quemao Class in future editions and with it be close to the people, the most outstanding riders and the town and people of La Santa.
And, one of Billabong's objectives is to inspire youth through modern surf culture, celebrating and connecting with nature and in the environment that is the favorite for both sponsor and riders, the sea. Furthermore, for them, the Canary Islands is a territory with exceptional conditions and with a potential that goes directly hand in hand with the brand's values, in which they believe and that is why they bet on it without hesitation.
This Tuesday, the competition was scheduled to start at 07:30 hours, with the quarter-finals in both categories. In the surf category, the performance of prominent names such as Natxo González, Jonathan González, Aritz Aranburu, Andy Criere, among others, was expected.
